An observation from a student of naval affairs

is time to implement a convoy system — maximum protection, minimal exposure. Yes, it is an extra burden on the freighters, but I suspect the cost of insurance is now escalating, so it would be cheaper in the long run to convoy then sail solo. Convoys worked well in World War I, World War II and more recently in the “Tanker War” of the 1980s.

The other plus is that overall risk of human injury is reduced in a convoy situation, contrasted to battles between armed crews and pirates, hostage rescues or attacking the pirates’ land bases.

Then the international community, possibly with funding from OPEC, could then institute a “nation building” in Somalia to eliminate piracy’s root cause.

We at AGSI will feature scenarios in the forthcoming v3.10 of Harpoon 3 ANW and Harpoon 3 Professional that feature different aspects of the piracy issue. We will also be including scenarios dealing with drug running from South America into the United States.

As more situations occur, AGSI will develop scenarios covering them.

— Don Gilman, President, Advanced Gaming Systems, Inc.